Baltimore Ravens 2008 Player Grades: Tight Ends

Todd Heap: Before the season began, the conventional wisdom was that Heap would rebound from an injury-plagued 2007 (he only played in 6 games) to post Antonio Gates-like numbers in Cam Cameron's new offense. When injuries to Kyle Boller and Troy Smith forced young Joe Flacco to assume the starting QB job ahead of schedule, Heap looked like an even safer bet: what better friend is there to a rookie QB than a big, athletic, Pro Bowl tight end?

Unfortunately, Heap's lingering injuries caused him to miss most of the preseason (much to the coaching staff's displeasure, if the rumors were correct). Still, on opening day the very first pass of Flacco's NFL career went right to Heap, who took it 9 yards for a 1st down ... and promptly fumbled. Later in the half Flacco found him uncovered in the end zone and fired a perfect pass ... right through Heap's fingers. It would take Flacco until Week 10 to find his tight end in the end zone again, by which time Derrick Mason had firmly entrenched himself as the go-to guy, while Heap spent a (for him) unprecedented amount of time blocking pass rushers. The rumors that the extra blocking duty was punishment for failing to gut it out during training camp were doubtlessly overblown---a rookie QB behind a green offensive line (minus a certain future-Hall-of-Fame left tackle) is a recipe for disaster, and with backup tight ends Quinn Sypniewski on IR and Dan Wilcox battling his own slate of injuries, Heap had little choice but to accept the less glorified role. Still, the final numbers added up to a mere 35 catches for 403 yards, by far his lowest totals for any season in which he played every game. While he can surely take pride in working himself into a credible blocker, helping to pave the way for the league's 4th-best running game and keeping his QB on his feet far more often than might have been expected, it's a safe bet that for Todd Heap 2008 did not go according to plan.

Status for 2009: The good news is that if history follows course, Heap is due to start another 16 games in '09---not counting his rookie year, when he backed up Shannon Sharpe, his yearly totals for games started follow a clear pattern: 16, 16, 5, 16, 16, 6, 16 (suggesting he is a bit more reliable than perhaps his "soft" reputation implies). Assuming Sypniewski and Wilcox return healthy, Cam Cameron will have plenty more opportunities to send Heap out on routes. And with a year of experience under his belt, and playing behind a much more stable O-line, Flacco will have plenty more opportunities to find him. Here's looking forward to hearing "HEEEAAAPPPP" a whole lot more next year. It might not be enough to get him to a 3rd Pro Bowl, but it should be plenty good to take our passing game to the next level.

Dan Wilcox: The record shows that Wilcox played in 13 games last year, catching 5 passes for 19 yards and 2 TDs, but in truth I only remember one moment---the grab he made in Week 4 against Pittsburgh, good for a 13-3 lead at the half and the first TD pass of Flacco's career. Otherwise, it seemed his name appeared in the injury report more often than it did in the stat sheet, a disappointment I'm sure for a guy who lost nearly all of 2007 to injury. His absence on special teams---particularly covering and returning kicks---doubtlessly contributed to the inconsistent play of those units early on.

Status for 2009: As far as I'm aware, Wilcox is a solid blocker and a key presence on special teams who can be counted on for a couple TDs each year when the opposing defense completely forgets about him in the red zone. The key, it seems, is for him to stay healthy. If he can do that, I expect him to be a valuable member of a team with Super Bowl-aspirations. If he can't, I expect him to be replaced on the depth chart---and possibly the roster---by Sypniewski for good.

Quinn Sypniewski: After flashing good hands subbing for the injured Heap in '07 (in his 2nd year, the backup TE caught 34 balls and a TD), it must have been devastating for Sypniewski to lose all of 2008 to a freak injury suffered at the beginning of training camp. His absence resulted in more blocking duty for Heap and no doubt a much more limited offense than Cam Cameron had envisioned himself running.

Status for 2009: Assuming his rehabilitation is on schedule, Sypniewski should be, like Wilcox, an invaluable special teams leader and backup tight end, freeing Heap once more to be the pass-catching weapon he was drafted to be.

Edgar Jones: With all three tight ends injured during training camp, the athletic Jones began making the transition from linebacker to tight end. He ended up catching one ball during garbage time in the Jacksonville blowout to end the season, though he may also have contributed some as a blocker throughout the year. I simply don't know.

Status for 2009: With all three tight ends scheduled to return, I expect Jones to return to the defensive side of the ball for good. He is athletic and smart but raw, as I understand it --- assuming we lose at least one of our starting 'backers to free agency, Jones has a good shot at seeing his role on defense expand.